Japan is Experimenting with AI to Combat Terrorism

Japan is Experimenting with AI to Combat Terrorism

Japan's National Police Agency is looking into artificial intelligence and how it can be used to combat terrorism.

  • By Sydny Shepard
  • Jan 18, 2019

Japan is looking towards advanced technology to aid in the fight against terroism. As reported in The Japan News, the Japanese National Police Agency (NPA) is planning to begin experimenting with the use of artificial intelligence in anti-terrorism and criminal investigations next fiscal year.

The experiments would involve using the characteristics of past attacks in Europe to train AI to identify terrorists in crowded areas, and introducing AI systems to analyze surveillance videos in criminal investigations. 

The NPA plans to conduct experiments in the three areas: identifying suspicious people and objects targeting large events, determining the model of automobiles and analyzing suspicious financial transactions. 

The new system would use past attacks, such as attacks on soft targets in Europe, to teach AI the signs of impending attacks and the characteristics of terrorist behavior.

The system will be deployed at large sporting competitions, events and international conferences and will automatically detect people exhibiting unusual behavior such as repeatedly visiting a certain location or staying in one place, or suspicious objects that are abandoned.

After detecting something, the system would issue a warning so police officers could assess the situation, such as to determine whether the pro in question is armed.

"Much is unclear about how useful AI will be, but we are aggressively searching for ways to make our work more advanced and more efficient," a senior NPA official said.

If the deployment methods are effective, they could be deployed during the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo.

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.

Featured

  • Cutting Retail Losses

    Retail is still a more complex and dynamic security vertical in modern society. Inherent challenges with in-store and distribution center operations are primarily due to constantly shifting consumer buying trends. Retailers must show daily flexibility to keep workers, meet sales goals and attract customers while maintaining safe and efficient operations. Retail is an intricate web of interconnected elements. Read Now

  • The Key to Wellbeing in the Office

    A few years ago, all we saw in the news was the ‘great resignation.’ Now we have another ‘great’ to deal with. According to CBRE, 2023 was the start of the ‘great return’ as office workers returned to their normal offices after working from home. The data shows that two-thirds of all U.S office buildings were more than 90% leased as of Q2 2023. Read Now

  • Failed Cybersecurity Controls Costing U.S. Businesses $30 Billion Yearly

    Panaseer recently released ControlWatch and the Continuous Controls Battle: Panaseer 2025 Security Leaders Report examining the cost of cybersecurity control failures and the impact of growing personal liability for security failings on security leaders. The report analyzes the findings of a survey of 400 security decision makers (SDMs) across the US and UK. It shows that security leaders feel under increasing pressure to provide assurances around cybersecurity, exposing them to greater personal risk – yet many lack the data and resources to accurately report and close cybersecurity gaps. Read Now

  • The Business Case for Video Analytics: Understanding the Real ROI

    For security professionals who may be hesitant to invest in video analytics, now's the time to reconsider. In a newly released Omdia report commissioned by BriefCam (now Milestone Systems), the research firm uncovered a compelling story: more than 85% of North American and European organizations that use video analytics achieve a return on investment within just one year. The study, which surveyed 140 end users across multiple industries, demonstrates that security technology is no longer just for security — it's a cross-organizational tool that delivers measurable business value far beyond traditional safety applications. Read Now

Most   Popular

Featured Cybersecurity

Webinars

New Products

  • Mobile Safe Shield

    Mobile Safe Shield

    SafeWood Designs, Inc., a manufacturer of patented bullet resistant products, is excited to announce the launch of the Mobile Safe Shield. The Mobile Safe Shield is a moveable bullet resistant shield that provides protection in the event of an assailant and supplies cover in the event of an active shooter. With a heavy-duty steel frame, quality castor wheels, and bullet resistant core, the Mobile Safe Shield is a perfect addition to any guard station, security desks, courthouses, police stations, schools, office spaces and more. The Mobile Safe Shield is incredibly customizable. Bullet resistant materials are available in UL 752 Levels 1 through 8 and include glass, white board, tack board, veneer, and plastic laminate. Flexibility in bullet resistant materials allows for the Mobile Safe Shield to blend more with current interior décor for a seamless design aesthetic. Optional custom paint colors are also available for the steel frame. 3

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.” 3

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area. 3